Book contents
- Riverflow
- Riverflow
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Maps
- Foreword: Marching Away from Folly
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction Publicum Ius Aquae
- 1 Instream Rights and the Public Trust
- 2 Instream Rights and Unreasonable Use
- 3 Instream Rights and Dams
- 4 Instream Rights and Watershed Governance
- 5 Instream Rights as Federal Law Recedes
- 6 Instream Rights as Water Temperatures Rise
- 7 Instream Rights as Sea Levels Rise
- 8 Instream Rights and Groundwater Extraction
- 9 Instream Rights and Old Canals
- 10 Instream Rights and Water as an Investment
- 11 Instream Rights and International Law
- 12 Instream Rights and Irrigation Subsidies
- 13 Instream Rights and Pacific Salmon
- 14 Instream Rights and Hatchery Fish
- 15 Instream Rights as Indigenous Rights
- Conclusion Policy Disconnected from Science
- About the Author
- Index
11 - Instream Rights and International Law
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 February 2021
- Riverflow
- Riverflow
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Maps
- Foreword: Marching Away from Folly
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction Publicum Ius Aquae
- 1 Instream Rights and the Public Trust
- 2 Instream Rights and Unreasonable Use
- 3 Instream Rights and Dams
- 4 Instream Rights and Watershed Governance
- 5 Instream Rights as Federal Law Recedes
- 6 Instream Rights as Water Temperatures Rise
- 7 Instream Rights as Sea Levels Rise
- 8 Instream Rights and Groundwater Extraction
- 9 Instream Rights and Old Canals
- 10 Instream Rights and Water as an Investment
- 11 Instream Rights and International Law
- 12 Instream Rights and Irrigation Subsidies
- 13 Instream Rights and Pacific Salmon
- 14 Instream Rights and Hatchery Fish
- 15 Instream Rights as Indigenous Rights
- Conclusion Policy Disconnected from Science
- About the Author
- Index
Summary
There can be various reasons why onstream dams are constructed and operated on rivers. Some dams are built to create new water supplies for irrigation or domestic use that can be stored in the reservoirs behind the impoundments. Other dams are built to generate hydro-electric energy that can be produced by running the water stored in reservoirs through turbines. There are also dams built to regulate flows to avoid downstream flooding during storms. More often than not, there are “multipurpose” onstream dams that are designed to serve a mix of water supply, energy, and flood control purposes.
Globally, the presence of onstream dams is pervasive and extensive. A report by the World Commission on Dams in 2000 found that there were more than 45,000 dams in more than 150 countries.1
Some dams are geographically located in watersheds within a single nation, while other dams are located in watersheds that span multiple nations. For example, in North America, the Columbia River/Snake River watershed spans Canada and the United States, and the Colorado River watershed spans Mexico and the United States.
- Type
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- Information
- RiverflowThe Right to Keep Water Instream, pp. 192 - 209Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021